Jacen's Final Battle
by Zahiri Kyliso
Summary: WARNING: LotF Invincible spoilers! One-Shot Darth Caedus' POV during his battle with Jaina, with some added insight.


SPOILER ALERT: This is Jacen's POV during his fight with Jaina in Invincible (with a twist), so if you haven't read it yet, I wouldn't read this.

**Jacen's Final Battle**

_"Jaina?"_

_A lightsaber snap-hissed to life, and suddenly Caedus felt as though he were going to vomit fire. _

His insides were burning as a hole created by Jaina's lightsaber split open his stomach. Pain not unlike the pain from the Yuuzhan Vong's Embrace of Pain filled his mind. Caedus drew upon that pain as Vergere had taught him, in what seemed like so many eons ago, and slammed Jaina with a blast from the Force, sending her careening backwards into the wall.

Allana. Tenel Ka. He had to warn her. He had to stop the Moff's missile boat. He didn't have time to deal with _kriffing_ Jaina. He raised his hands as his sister began to regain her breath from the blow. Force lightning shot from them, but she blocked it with her lightsaber, barely.

All this time and he had thought it was _Luke_ coming for him. He hadn't expected Jaina. She was his twin, after all, and he hadn't thought she could stomach killing him. They had been close once; always knowing exactly where the other was through the Force, always knowing exactly what the other was thinking and feeling. Twin bonds were one of the strongest Force bonds, but ever since he had learned to hide his presence in the Force, he had necessarily cut Jaina off.

And then _he_ was the one flying backwards as Jaina hurled him with the Force. He jumped up again, not thinking about the hole in his abdomen. He drew his lightsaber and ignited the crimson blade as he Force leaped out of the pit and towards Jaina. Jaina spun away with a 

kick, and her boot caught him just above his wound, causing him to grunt, but the pain as only a dull throb somewhere deep inside his mind. His foot then hit Jaina hard in the ribs, causing her to sweep back in momentary retreat, looking for an advantage. Caedus followed, paring her blade almost effortlessly, like when they had sparred as kids at the academy. But there was something different about her, something _new,_ and dangerous.

She paused, and Caedus took advantage, hitting her across the cheek, splitting the skin and smashing bone. He was hit in return with a knee in his thigh; he barely saved his hand from going the way of his arm.

All the while he was losing time. He was going to lose Allana and Tenel Ka. His daughter, his lover. Caedus staggered back under the weight and force of the droid Jaina shoved at him, and then whirled around to protect his midsection as Jaina's boot came perilously close to hitting it. Caedus' counter kick hit her in the stomach, but she also managed to catch him on the hip, forcing him back onto the conveyor belt that led into the incinerator, his face crashing into a box of used syringes, coming out with dozens hanging from his face and shoulder, piercing his skin. Caedus didn't feel them.

This needed to end. _Now._ If that missile boat reached the Dragon Queen, the nanokiller would be released and Allana and Tenel Ka dead. He was drawing on the Force with everything he had, he thought that was the only thing keeping him alive right now, but he didn't know how long it would last. Why did Jaina have to come now? He jumped back up, dropped his lightsaber, and tried the trick he had just used on Prince Isolder. Jaina's head started to twist with the twisting motion of his hand, but she spun with it towards Caedus, her lightsaber cleaving a droid's head off in the process.

Before Caedus could do anything more, Jaina was on him, lightsabers clashed and the electricity hummed with each parry and block. Suddenly Caedus' head snapped back from an unexpected kick from Jaina, sending him over the conveyor belt, and sending his lightsaber flying. Caedus, by this time, was so far gone that he existed only because of his powerful draw on the Force, which was literally holding his body together. As Jaina reached for his lightsaber, Caedus, desperate to help Tenel Ka and Allana, ignited his sword with the Force and sent it spinning back to his outstretched hand, nearly severing his sisters' arm before she pulled it back just in time to save it.

Caedus could barely feel his lightsaber as it hurled into his hand. He rose slowly from behind the conveyor belt. He fed on his pain, relished it, used it to drive him forward, to pull the Force into him so he could get to Allana and Tenel Ka.

Deactivating his lightsaber and clipping it to his belt, Caedus said, "Jaina, listen to me. You need to get out of my way. I'm trying to save Tenel Ka and Allana." His voice was throaty and gurgled; it sounded like a dying man's last words.

"Sure you are," Jaina scoffed. "Just like you saved Isolder."

She didn't believe him. He didn't blame her, but she _needed_ to believe him. Allana's life depended on it. "Isolder would have made the same choice. In fact, he _did_." He had had to kill Isolder. The man had asked for it, as Caedus knew he would. He was a good father and would not kill his daughter and granddaughter. Couldn't Jaina see that he was trying to do the same thing? That was what was wrong with the Jedi Order; they couldn't do what had to be done for the good of the universe, or in this case, the good of his family.

"So die already." There was no menace in her voice, just a straight statement. He admired her for that. Jaina launched herself into the air, flipping over the conveyor belt to strike at what was left of Jacen Solo and her brother.

He didn't even try to move or unclip his lightsaber, but glanced towards the incinerator where Jaina was headed. She was able to avoid the open entrance to the incinerator, saving her life, but smashed into the searing hot durasteel. Her hair was scorched, her skin was charred and her GAG uniform burning on her back.

Caedus left her, staggering with all his effort towards the door, pulling the syringes from his face as he did so. _Now_ he could get to Allana and Tenel Ka to warn them, if Jaina's foolishness hadn't made it too late. Then the door slid shut in his face. _No!_ This was not going to happen. Caedus was furious. He spun around and glared at Jaina, spreading his fingers and stretching his arms towards her, unleashing a stream of Force lightning. Jaina blocked it with her lightsaber's blade as she spun through the air towards him, bringing her blade down a split second after Caedus had vacated the spot.

He unclipped his lightsaber and ignited the crimson blade. His kick came around towards Jaina's neck, but her arm was there protecting it, taking the blow as it cracked and the bone stuck up in the middle of her forearm. Caedus knew a lame arm would not stop Jaina from coming after him fiercer then before and slashed his blade towards her neck. She whipped her lightsaber around into a block, then dived forward and swiped at his foot as he took a chance at the opening left by her stomach. Both blades did damage; Caedus' Achilles' tendon was cut, rendering the leg useless while Jaina's abdomen was cut.

Jacen knew he was finished. He tried to turn to meet his sister's continued attack, but with one arm gone on one side of his body and a useless leg on the other he started to fall, trying 

to stay upright, to fight his sister, to save Allana, to save Tenel Ka. He had followed the path of the previous Lords of the Sith, allowing his fear of attachment and love to blind him, while also preventing himself from doing what was best for the galaxy. He _would_ bring peace to the galaxy.

Jacen looked towards the ceiling, and setting his Sith title aside, he reached out to the Force as he never had before. He screamed out in the Force to Tenel Ka, warning her of the missile boat's intentions with the nanokiller, warning her of danger, telling her to get Allana and get away from the _Dragon Queen_. Then Jacen's eyes were opened as he realized the true meaning of his vision of Allana as an adult. His daughter had to survive. Her destiny was before him in the Force, but if she did not survive, the vision showed darkness, pain, betrayal, and horrors unlike any that the universe had known. It was crucial that Allana lived and so she could finally bring lasting peace to the galaxy.

Then Jaina's blade was cutting through his body. He continued his Force scream, until the blade borne by the Sword of the Jedi reached his heart, and the message to his lover and his daughter cut off abruptly.

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**Author's Note:** I hope you enjoyed Jacen's POV during the battle! This is a one-shot, as of now, but I might do something longer with the whole Allana story separately later. Please let me know what you think! (Hint: Review!) Thanks!


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